This Weekend

Ok. Weekend recap here we go!

I kicked off Saturday with a trip to the Chocolate Festival in Harvard Square with Texas.

Me in line for chocolate.

Texas and I ready for chocolate.

Free chocolate!

Then when I was about to head home, a friend gave me hats that his grandmother had knitted for the kid housemates. She visited my friend a while ago and we hit it off pretty quickly. She told me then that she might knit hats for my kid housemates but I wasn't actually expecting her to go through with it. The hats are great and when I got home, I made the kids sit in one place so I could get a picture of them all.

The hats.

Primo, Terzo, Secondo, and Mini T in their new hats.

On Saturday night, I helped Joy babysit the kids and then I rushed over to an emergency protest against Trump's unconstitutional immigration ban at the airport. It was packed and the police had shut down the T station nearby when I had to leave for my night job.

Protest. You can see my head in the left bottom corner.

Crowd shot I grabbed from the internet. You can find me on the left side of the crowd if you look closely. 

State police at the protest.

The next day I had a whole plan. Church, then a planned protest, then Ethiopian food night with friends. I went to church and took Terzo with me. Then I got everyone together making signs for the protest. At that point, disaster struck and everyone started coming down with a stomach bug. Which meant no protest for us. The kids were disappointed so I took a group photo and told them I would post it to Facebook so we could have an "internet protest" instead.

Kids making protest signs.

Us and our signs. Mine is cut off but it says "Make America Glitter Again."

I didn't end up going to Ethiopian food night or to my night job because I was the only non-sick person in the household and someone needed to be there to clean up vomit and go on gatorade runs.

It's Fierce Friday

It's Fierce Friday and I am feeling… not so fierce. I'm pretty overwhelmed with stuff at the moment and have been having a cruddy body week. Overall I feel kind of gross and weird.

White man with brown hair making an "insecure" face.

Part of it is that I've lost some weight so a lot of my favorite clothes aren't fitting properly. And by not fitting properly, I mean that some of my favorite pants and shirts are too big, and my underwear feels awkwardly baggy which is not cool. Unfortunately I don't have the money to buy more clothing right now. 

White text on a yellow background that says
"Don't judge me by my clothes because they do not fit."

Another part of it is not liking my haircut but not having any idea what else to do with my hair other than shaving it all off. What do other not-yet-bald men do for haircuts when they can't pull off longer styles? 

Black and white photo of a man making a surprised face as his toupee blows off.

The biggest part is feeling more self-conscious than usual of my gender expression in the face of this new and more hostile presidency. I just don't feel safe being myself right now. It's not like I've ever been 100% safe. I've been harassed and queer bashed because of my gender expression and I'm used to watching my own back because I'm unwilling to change myself because of other people's prejudices. But this feels different. There's a climate of despair and anxiety right now despite the increased activism, and the bigots are having a field day without fear of the consequences because they feel like they've won. 

Poster with a picture of Donald Trup that says
"Trump: Make America Hate Again"

Ok. Now that you've sat here through my extended whine, I'm going to give you a link to Qwear's article "14 Femmes of Color Whose Style We Adore" so you can see fashion on some other queer femme folks. 

My Travel Bucket List

These locations are in no particular order. Which is probably silly but I didn't feel like organizing them. I have a goal of traveling to every state in the USA and all seven continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America, and Antarctica), so there are a lot of things on my list. In terms of the continents, I've only been to North America and Europe.

In the USA, in alphabetical order, I've been to: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. which isn't a state but I'm counting it anyway.

That leaves out (again in alphabetical order): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Ok, on to specific trips.

Yacht Trip

View from a yacht.

This is the least specific of my specific trips because it's not dependent on location. I have a sailing license for smaller boats but I want to get licensed to sail yachts and then charter a yacht for a multi-day trip somewhere. I don't even care where I go to since the point is to be out on the ocean on a yacht.

Road Trip Across The USA

Map of road trip across USA

I want to do a road trip across the USA, possibly with camping. I found this cool article about computing the optimal road trip and I like their route. It hits several US landmarks on my bucket list such as the Grand Canyon, the Alamo, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and the Hoover Dam. I'd skip the New York since I've lived there and instead I'd start at home in MA and head straight to Ohio. I'd follow the route pretty much exactly but I'd add in a stop to Kayak through the Apostle Islands off the Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior and another stop at Antelope Canyon in Arizona since it's supposed to be gorgeous and it's practically on the route already. After Mississippi, I'd deviate from the route. I'd skip New Orleans because I've been there and instead I'd head for Birmingham or Montgomery in Alabama and from there go to check out Nashville since I skipped it on my trip to Tennessee. After Nashville I'd go straight home since I've already done a road trip along the whole the eastern coast.

Australia

Great barrier reef in Australia.

Trip to Australia. I want to visit my friends who live there, scuba dive in great barrier reef, and drive on the great ocean road. I also want to see Uluru/Ayer's rock. But really this trip would be an excuse to visit my Australian friends.

Iceland

Northern lights in Iceland.

I want to do an extended travel layover in Iceland, probably more than once because I want to see it in both seasons. In winter I want to watch the northern lights, see the Skaftafell Ice Cave, maybe go to a concert at Harpa Hall, and eat at Perlan. I'm thinking something like this Glacier Walk and Northern Lights Tour looks good or maybe these Ice Cave Tours. In summer I want to drive the Golden Circle which includes a bunch of national parks, geysers, the Gullfoss falls, and Kerid crater lake. I also want to see the Grímsvötn Ice Cauldron, the Landmannalaugar mountains, and Hvitserkur Rock. In either season I'd like to chill out in one of their spas.

Edinburgh/Scotland in General

Edinburgh, Scotland.

I want to visit Edinburgh, Scotland. I have friends who used to live there and they've both said it's amazing. They have an extinct volcano, a castle, great bars, cool monuments, good theater, and the National Gallery. Forth Bridge looks really cool. I've heard their fringe festival is excellent. I'm also interested in going to Beltane and Samhuinn. And if I was already in Scotland to see Edinburgh, I'd have to make a trip to go see Glasgow, Iverness, and the Scottish Highlands (including Loch Ness and the Urquhart Castle ruins). I'd also love to take a dip in the Fairy Pools in Skye, even if they are super cold. Finnich Glen looks weird and breathtaking. Rosslyn Chapel would be interesting to visit, as would the Ring of Brodgar. And I've got great fantasies of wandering the moors looking wistful.

Tanzania

Wildebeest migration.

I want to go on a safari in Africa, and ideally I'd combine this in a trip where I see the great migration of wildebeest in Tanzania at the Serengeti National Park. I could stay at Singita Grumeti Reserves, which is located on the migratory route. They have two lodges and a tent camp - I'd probably stay in the tent camp since it's cheaper and I actually like camping. The Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania is also supposed to be beautiful (and nearly twice the size of Denmark). And then there's Mount Kilimanjaro which would be amazing to see. I'd also want to check out Dar es Salaam because I know someone from Mburahati.

The Ivory Coast

Treichville Market in Abidjan.

I'd love to visit the Ivory Coast, mainly because every single person I've met from there has been really wonderful. Also, they were colonized by the French and French is still the official language so I should have no problem getting around. I want to see Abidjan and Yamoussoukro. In Abidjan I want to see St. Paul's Cathedral and Treichville Market. In Yamoussoukro I'd like to see the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which is the largest basilica in the world. I'd be curious to see a cocoa farm since I love chocolate. I also think it'd be really cool to stay in one of the stilt homes in Tiagba. And of course I'd want to see Mount Nienokoue, Tai National Park, and Camoé National Park.

India

Holi in India.

I want to go to India because my former housemate is from there, as is Texas' family.  The former housemate has said he's never going back there so I told Texas I want to go with him and his family next time they go. In a perfect world I'd go during Holi because it's my favorite Hindu festival. Like any good tourist I'd also like to see the Taj Mahal. Another great India idea is to ride on the Maharajas' Express, which is a luxury train that includes sightseeing in Udaipur, looking for tigers in Ranthambore National Park, and visiting Varanasi.

Madrid/Spain in General

Madrid, Spain

I have a Spanish friend from college who lives in Madrid. I've never met her wife and now they have a daughter that I also haven't met so this trip is a priority. One thing I want to do there is go out for tapas and another is to see a Flamenco show because I have a friend who dances Flamenco and I think it's really cool. Maybe I can combine the two? Maybe while I'm at it I should find a place with vegetarian paella and also go for chocolate and churros at Chocolateria San Ginés. Madrid also has some awesome art museums that seem worthwhile to check out. There's a giant flea market on Sundays (El Rastro). Pride is also apparently ginormous there. I'd also like to see Barcelona since someone I knew (he passed away) was from there. In Barcelona I'd like to see la Sagrada Familia, la Pedrera, Park Güell, and Montjuïc mountain. I'd also like to check out the gay district and gay beaches (!!!). If I went elsewhere in Spain, I think it'd be neat to go to Granada and see the Alhambra Fortress and to Seville. If I had a lot of time, I'd walk the Camino de Santiago.

Bristol/England in General

Bristol, England

I've got friends in Bristol so I'd like to take a trip there. If possible, I'd like to time it for August, when they're having the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. I'd probably turn it into a general England trip since I also want to see London because I've been in their airport so often. I'd like to go in the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. I'd also like to ride on the London Eye, see Big Ben, and have tea at the Savoy Hotel. If I still had time to go elsewhere, I think it'd be really neat to see Stonehenge and Windsor Castle.

Ride on the Orient Express

Inside the Orient Express.

I want to ride on the Orient Express while re-reading Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. The main route is London-Paris-Venice but there's also routes to Krakow, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, and even Istanbul. They have sleeping space and meals in the train, which is really cool. But obviously because I'm a nerd the coolest thing to me is feeling like I'm inside a murder mystery.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu.

I want to go check out machu picchu because it looks stunning. Maybe I'd follow this plan for "The Best of Machu Picchu in One Week" since it looks like a fun itinerary.

Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon.

I'd like to visit Lebanon with my Lebanese friend who invited me to go with her to visit her family and friends. Beirut looks like it would be fun to visit. I'd love to go to Baalbek to see the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. The Jeita grotto caves just reopened for tourists which is great since the caves look gorgeous and they contain the world's largest known stalactite. It might also be need to go to Byblos which is one of the oldest cities in the world. And then there's the palace of Beit ed-Din which was built in the 19th century by Emir Bechir II and is apparently an easy day trip from Beirut and can be combined with a visit to the village of Deir el-Qamar ("Monastery of the Moon"). If I still had time after all that, there's another interesting looking archaeological area in Tyre and then there's the town of Sidon which looks pretty. Also and unrelatedly here's a weird and interesting Lebanon fact: diesel cars aren't allowed in the country.

Cappadocia Region of Turkey

Cappadocia region of Turkey.

I want to see the Cappadocia region of Central Turkey. It's known for these cool mushroom/anthill-shaped towers and cave cities that housed ancient settlers there. Ideally I'd love to stay in a cave hotel, like this one. I'd also walk around the Kaymakli Underground City. I'd then go in the opposite direction with a hot air balloon ride over the city. I want to check out the Uchisar castle and its gorgeous views. I'd also make sure to see the painted medieval cave churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum. I've heard there are pottery demonstrations and workshops in Avanos, an area well known for its red clay pottery, and I'd love to do a one-day workshop there (and buy some pottery). I also feel like it'd be nice to see some traditional Turkish dancing and find somewhere to get tea and people watch.

Ride the Rocky Mountaineer Train

Rocky Mountains in Canada.

I'd love to take a Rocky Mountaineer train through the Rocky Mountains in Canada. The views from the train would be gorgeous and they've got glass-domed coaches and white-glove service, plus a lot of neat stops along the way like Jasper National Park, Banff, and Lake Louise. There's a route that goes from Seattle, WA to Vancouver, B.C. which looks good to me.


Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech.

I've heard that Marrakech is lovely and French is commonly spoken there so I should have no problems getting around. If I was to do my dream trip, I'd splurge and stay at the Mamounia Hotel. I'd like to see the outside of the Koutoubia Mosque (non-Muslims can't go inside), Jemaa el-Fnaa, the Majorelle Gardens, the Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace and El Badi Palace. I think it'd be fun to go shopping in the local markets there and then drink tea in a local Riad. I'd probably take a day trip to see the Atlas Mountains nearby. 


Antarctica Cruise

Penguins in Antarctica.

I wouldn't want to leave out a continent and I think penguins are adorable, so I'd like to go to Antarctica. I've also never been on a cruise before so an Antarctica cruise it is!

Under The Sea

Underwater restaurant.

This is somewhat flexible. I'd like to eat at an undersea restaurant and maybe stay in an undersea hotel. I don't actually care where or which sea I'm under. I just love the idea of being surrounded by ocean without risk of drowning.

Cancun, Mexico

Scuba diver at the underwater museum.

I want to scuba dive in the coral reef and see the Underwater Museum. I also want to go to the Rio Secreto nature reserve and see the Underground River and Crystal Caves. I'd love to see Chichen Itza ruins and cenote Ik Kil is close by. It might be cool to go to one of their eco parks too.

Pamukkal, Turkey

Thermal pools in Pamukkale, Turkey.

I mainly want to go here because I  want to chillax in the thermal pools. Unfortunately, it's pretty far from my other Turkey destination, so it'd probably have to be a separate trip. Luckily for me they have some other cool historic sights like the Roman Theater, the Martyrium of St. Philip the Apostle, the Roman Bath ruins, the Temple of Apollo, and the Necropolis. They've also got an archaeology museum and the Tavertines Nature Reserve.


Mont Saint-Michel, France

Mont Saint-Michel.

Ok. This is an island commune in Normandy, France. The path to the island used to be a tidal causeway that flooded during high tide, closing off the island. Now there's a permanent bridge. Why do I want to visit? Just look at it! It's like a romantic's dream. I want to wander about the abbey and gardens pretending I'm in a medieval fairy land.

China

Beijing.

I realize that this is a HUGE destination so maybe it'll take a couple trips. I want to go to Beijing to see the Great Wall of China, the forbidden city, the Temple of Heaven, and Tian'anmen Square. In Xi'an I want to see where the silk road started, look at the Buddhist pagodas, and see the Terracotta Army. Shanghai and Hong Kong don't appear to have a ton of interesting historic sights but I think either one would be a good place to fly into and poke about in for a day or two while I recover from jet lag because they're huge and full of people. I'd love to see Hangzhou because the pictures of it look beautiful and maybe I could go to a traditional tea ceremony there since it's famous for its tea. I also really want to see panda bears in Chengdu where they have a giant panda breeding and research center!  Plus Chengdu has Qingyang palace and it's famous for sichuan food which is delicious. If I had time, I'd probably also go to Guilin because it looks lovely.

Japan

Kyoto, Japan.

I found a website with a travel itinerary here for "The Best of Japan in 14 Days" and it actually looks pretty good so I might try and follow that with a few modifications. Osaka and Kobe are on my list but not on the itinerary so I'd probably I could tack them on after Nara.

Fano, Italy

Fano.

I want to go here because it's where my mom's side of the family is from and I didn't see it when I went to Italy in High School. I want to climb around in the Grotte di Frasassi (caves), visit the Malatesta Palace, see the Fano Cathedral, and of course hang out at the beach. I might also go and see nearby Urbino while I'm there so I can see the Ducal Palace.

_____

That's it. I'm sure I'll come up with plenty more places to add to the list as I hear about cool places to see, but for at the moment is my entire travel bucket list.

The Rest of My Trip

Well, my trip has ended and I'm back in the states. I spent Saturday and Sunday, the last two days of my trip, in the second certification class and I passed it.

My workbook.

The classroom setup with hospital beds.

Rolling cart with all sorts of bandages and dressings.

Me with our fake patient.

Hanging at the Resort

Yesterday and today were both spent around the resort. Yesterday I spent the morning reading, then headed to the activity center to play hockey with some of the other guests at the resort. Next I decided to borrow a 1000-piece puzzle and spent several hours working on it. I haven't put a puzzle together in a really long time and I'd forgotten how much I like them. It also turned out to be a great way to interact with other people. I made friends with a few of the kids at the resort who were impressed that I was doing a hard puzzle. Then couple from Toronto stopped by to help out for a bit and we swapped contact information before they left. To make things even better, the resort started serving crêpes and hot chocolate so I helped myself to some deliciousness.

A crêpe filled with nutella and mug of hot chocolate in front of a puzzle.

I wound up spending the bulk of my evening with a gentleman from southern France who tackled some of the harder parts of the puzzle. We eventually abandoned it for dinner:

Almost finished puzzle.

Dinner was a really tasty plate of local cheeses and some local red wine. I wish I could remember the names of the other cheeses and the wine, but the one I liked best was called Le Riopelle de l'Isle.

Yummy dinner.

And that was yesterday. Today was super exciting because I got to go dog sledding! It was super cool. All of the dogs are huskies. There were five pulling the sleigh I used. The three in front are brothers and the other two in the back are not related. They put the most experienced in the front and the newbies at the back to learn from the others. The one in the closer up picture with the white muzzle is the youngest at one year old and he was SUPER enthusiastic about everything. To drive the sleigh you stand on the back of it and hold on tight. You help the dogs out by pushing with your foot like you're riding a skateboard and here's a break in the center you can step on if you need to stop them. All of the vocal commands are in French. My only wish is that I'd saved up to do the all-day session instead of the shortest time because now I want to train my own sled dogs!

Here we go! 

Staged picture because I didn't think to ask anyone to get photos when we were actually going.

Me and my tuckered out team of puppies after our ride. 

And while I'm posting, here's a youtube video of the place I went dog sledding. If you're in the area I highly recommend them:

After my super exciting dog sledding adventure, it was time to relax. So I had my first-ever professional massage. Not sure I'd do it again but I do feel less physically tense.

Massage room.

After my massage I headed back to my apartment to chill out. All in all, this is so much better than hanging out at home where I would be freaking out about Trump's inauguration. The only sad thing is that I've also missed Karma's birthday. I did text to say happy birthday but it's just not the same. I'll have to give them a huge hug and some maple syrup or something when I get back.

Yesterday and Today

Now that I've caught you up on Monday, I can fill you in pretty quickly on yesterday (aka Tuesday) and today (Wednesday). Basically, I went to class yesterday morning. Then after class yesterday I had a  horrible headache so I bought some painkillers, whined to myself, and went to bed. This morning it was off to class again and back to the resort. But I passed! Yay!

Picture of my tiny class book and my pen.

Despite what it looks like from the photo, my class was actually fairly interesting. But more interesting to me and probably to you is the fact that it took place in a museum: La Maison Trestler, home of Jean-Joseph Trestler. And more interesting than that is the fact that people say it's haunted by the ghost of his daughter Catherine, who he disowned for marrying a store clerk. Unfortunately I didn't see any ghosts. I did see some old artifacts, some new art that was part of an exhibit called "Entre-Nous," and the gorgeous views around the property:

Weird portrait sculpture thing in the entryway.

Dining room.

Old fashioned dress.

Spindle.

My favorite new artwork piece.

I like the colors in this one.

This entire thing is textile.

The outside of the building.

View from the classroom.

Another view from the classroom.

Front lawn.

Nice, right? Since I passed the class I decided to celebrate by purchasing a baguette and some kiri because I love kiri and haven't had any luck finding it back home. 

Me looking overly excited with my baguette and kiri.

Since I've been back at the resort, all I've done is change into pajamas, eat kiri on a baguette, and read The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. My friend Pacman has informed me that it has been turned into a hilariously cheesy movie so now everybody knows what I'll be watching next on Netflix.